Newswise — Babson College Professor of Film Julie Levinson and Framingham State University Associate Professor of English Claudia Springer have co-edited Acting, a new book from the Rutgers University Press series, Behind the Silver Screen.

Acting presents an in-depth look at the history of film acting, beginning with its inception in 1895 when spectators thrilled at the sight of vaudeville performers, Wild West stars, and athletes captured in motion, through present day in which audiences now marvel at the seamless blend of human actors with computer-generated imagery (CGI).

The authors take readers behind the silver screen to learn about the craft of film acting in six eras:

- The Silent Screen (1895-1928)- Classical Hollywood (1928-1946)- Postwar Hollywood (1947-1967)- The Auteur Renaissance (1968-1980)- The New Hollywood (1981-1999)- The Modern Entertainment marketplace (2000-present).

Acting includes a collection of essays that spotlight the distinctive performances of such notable film stars as Lillian Gish, Dick Powell, Ginger Rogers, Beulah Bondi, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Nicholas Cage, Denzel Washington, and Andy Serkis.

Although film acting may appear effortless, a host of techniques, artistic conventions, and social factors actually shape the construction of each role. Acting illuminates the dynamic role of screen acting in the creation and evolving practices of the American film industry.

Acting can be purchased at retailers nationwide. Visit http://bit.ly/1QZkiTt

About the Authors

Julie Levinson is a professor of film at Babson College. She has been the film curator for several arts organizations and film festivals. She is the author of The American Success Myth on Film, editor of Alexander Payne Interviews, and co-editor of the volume on screen acting in the Behind the Silver Screen film history series. She has also authored book chapters and articles on a wide range of topics including genre and gender, documentary film, and metafiction. Claudia Springer is an English professor at Framingham State University where she teaches film studies. She is the author of Electronic Eros: Bodies and Desire in the Postindustrial Age and James Dean Transfigured: The Many Faces of Rebel Iconography.

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ®. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​Visit www.babson.edu

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